Caleb Williams' stellar performance delighted fans and provided hope for the future

In their only home game of the preseason this year, the Chicago Bears fans who showed up despite the uncertain weather conditions were treated to a 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, who decided not to play their starters in that game.

That meant no Joe Burrow, who suffered a wrist injury that ended his season last November, as well as star wideout Ja'Marr Chase, who is currently holding out as he seeks a new contract that is being signed by all the start wideouts this off-season. Still, the fans were treated to seeing Caleb Williams in a Bears uniform. Head coach Matt Eberflus wisely allowed him and his starters to play close to halftime in order to match the snap count he wanted to give to Williams.

After the offense went 3 and out on their three opening drives, which sent fans and social media into doom and gloom, the offense finally figured themselves out in the last drive of the first half. Facing 2nd and 10, Williams bails out from the pressure, spins to the left and makes an off-platform throw that lands perfectly in the hands of another rookie, Rome Odunze.

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As if that was not enough, Willams gave the fans more excitement. On 1st and Goal, Williams rolls to the right, shakes off a Bengal defender, and rips a fastball to Odunze. It looked like he caught a touchdown pass at the corner of the endzone, but it was ruled out of bounds because of what looks to be a confusing white line that was hastily painted following a Metallica concert in which the turf also had to be resodded but saw plenty of loose pieces.

Following an incomplete pass on 2nd down, Williams scrambled to the right, then makes a left turn while looking for an open receiver. Once he found no one open, he took off with guard Teven Jenkins leading the way and scored his first touchdown untouched. It was a satisfying end to his afternoon and sent the fans into a frenzy that made them forget about the opening three drives.

As his snap count reached 41, it looks like Williams is done playing in pre-season. If the game against the Kansas City Chiefs were not on Thursday, it would have been nice to see Williams get one or two series even against their second and third-string defense while Patrick Mahomes watches from the sideline, seeing why many consider Williams to be the next Mahomes.

But unlike Mahomes, Williams does not have the luxury of sitting out an entire season to learn. As evidenced by their opening three drives, he will struggle as he continues to learn to play within the structures. He also missed a pass to Odunze before their big gain. His off-script plays could also lead to turnovers. Once the regular season starts, many teams will study his tape and throw everything at him.

After worrying about all the rumors about WIlliams not wanting to play for the Bears and the discourse between the fans of Justin Fields and those who wanted Williams the entire off-season, the fans saw a glimpse of what they are in store for many years to come on Saturday.

It is incredible that he does things so effortlessly. We've seen him do it numerous times at Oklahoma and USC. No Bears quarterback has ever made a throw like the one he threw to Odunze. And the Bears are usually on the receiving end of brilliant quarterback plays that have resulted in many heartbreaking losses, particularly against the ex-Packer Aaron Rodgers, whom Williams idolizes.

Between now and the their season opener against the Tennessee Titans on September 8th, it is imperative that Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff to make sure players stay focused and ready in order to avoid the disaterous season opener against the Green Bay Packers last season from happening again. But as we witnessed on Saturday, Caleb Williams showed he is ready to go.